---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: janitor@hbd.org
		Many thanks to the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers of 
		Livonia, Michigan for sponsoring the Homebrew Digest.
				URL: http://www.oeonline.com


Contents:
  Rims heating element surface temperature. (william macher)
  Re: Oxynator question (Michael Satterwhite)
  re: skunk smell (Tom Alaerts)
  Nimrod (Biggiebigg)
  Converting Kegs ("Eric R. Tepe")
  Re: Citrus Notes ("Cruiser")
  Re: Kettle outflow without welding (John_E_Schnupp)
  Re: Carry-On Homebrew (Greg_T._Smith)
  slang; labelling laws (Samuel Mize)
  break(s) defined ("Paul E. Lyon")
  Kettle Drain Fittings NO WELDING! (Bradd Wheeler)
  Burner Sleeve (THaby)
  Re: Carry-On Homebrew (Steve Jackson)
  Homebrew and Air Travel ("Jeffrey M. Kenton")
  Buffers/Wavelengths/Spores/Tone ("A. J. deLange")
  RE: Samuel Mize's comments on Really Really Big Batches and ("Braker-Abene, Scott")
  Ask the Brewer (was citrus notes) (Charley Burns)
  fermentation controller (Fred Kingston)
  Roller Mill Spacings (again) (montgomery_john)
  AHA NHC Northeast region first round (George_De_Piro)
  Counter-pressure filling (Dave Humes)
  Bube's Fest/Competition (717) 787-4973" <BENDER.RODNEY at a1.pader.gov>
  brewing at sea (Hans_Geittmann)
  Re: Carry-On Homebrew ("Hans E. Hansen")
  Pigs in Space -- no, wait -- Gimbals at Sea (Samuel Mize)
  Re. Fearful lurkers, please help me ("Charles L. Ehlers")
  Only Lambics are made with aged hops (Al Korzonas)


BUZZ's Buzz-Off competition is June 27-28. Information is available at
www.voicenet.com/~rpmattie/buzzoff or via R. Mattie at
rpmattie at voicenet.com. 


NOTE NEW HOMEBREW ADDRESS:  hbd.org 

Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org
  (Articles are published in the order they are received.) 

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org. 
**SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE REQUESTS MUST BE SENT FROM THE E-MAIL
**ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!! 
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, the autoresponder and
  the SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE commands will fail!

For "Cat's Meow" information, send mail to brewery at hbd.org

Homebrew Digest Information on the Web: http://hbd.org

Requests for back issues will be ignored. Back issues are available via:

  Anonymous ftp from...
	ftp://hbd.org/pub/hbd/digests
	ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer

  AFS users can find it under...
        /afs/ir.stanford.edu/ftp/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer

JANITORS on duty: Pat Babcock and Karl Lutzen (janitor@hbd.org)


----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 20:32:07
From: william macher <macher at telerama.lm.com>
Subject: Rims heating element surface temperature.

Hello all,

Well, the saga of "design and build a steam-injected rims" continues...

Can the collective offer any advice regarding the surface temperature of
the electrical heating element used in "standard" rims designs?

I am grateful for the private correspondence from several HBD members. One
question that came up is wheather direct injection of steam in the
recirculation line, after the pump, might offer the possibility of
overheating the liquid and have a negative effect on enzymes in the liquid.

Now the steam that is being injected will NOT be super heated, and will
therefore have a temperature of just a bit over 212 degrees F. The actual
temp will be dependent on backpressure at the injection point, but since
this pressure will be very low...say perhaps 1 PSI or so by my estimate
(watch out! It is MY estimate :-)) it should not be much above 212 F.

It has been reported that steam injected directly into the mash tun,
through a wand or loop of copper tubing, might lead to astringent tastes in
the finished product, due probably to localized overheating of the grains.
Injection of steam into the liquid stream would probably reduce/eliminate
this problem.

I understand super-heated steam is used for boiling wort, and producing
with success beers with lighter colors than can be easily produced with
direct-fired kettles. And this superheated steam will be at a higher
temperature than simple saturated steam that comes out of a pressure cooker
at low psi. While this does not directly relate to the mash tun, it does
indicate that steam is gentler than gas...is it gentler than an electrical
heating element too?

So the question is: Does injecting 212 deg. F (really 215F ??) steam into
the liquid stream offer any greater oppportunity for enzyme denaturing than
does passing the liquid over the surface of an electrical heating element?
I mean at normal flow rates...say 2 to 3 gal per minute. Natually, with the
electrical element, if the liquid flow slows, the temperature of the
element will rise, since energy input reamains the same (in full-on
condition)while energy take-away decreases. 

Steam seems self-limiting. The maximum temp must be the temp of the steam.
And the temp. of the steam is set by the pressure(since it is NOT
super-heated)...whereas, I have read reports of electrical RIMS users
experiencing carmalization on thier heating elements, at least when
something went wrong.

Does anyone know (or have a good estimate of) the surface temperature of a
RIMS electrical heating element, when it is in the condition of full on,
say at the start of a temp. raise period?  I guess I am referring to the
low-watt-density elements, that are run at reduced voltage and 1/4 power
with great success in electrical rims systems.

Grateful for any and all input.

Bill



Bill Macher   macher at telerama.lm.com  Pittsburgh, PA   USA


Return to table of contents


Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 22:50:19 -0500
From: Michael Satterwhite <satterwh at weblore.com>
Subject: Re: Oxynator question

At 11:41 PM 6/22/98 , Request Address Only - No Articles wrote:
>From: "Ed Krach" <Ed.Krach at usa.net>
>Subject: Oxynator Question
>
>1.  Anyone who has used the Oxynator from Liquid Bread care to comment on
> the results of a couple 15 second bursts of pure Oxygen compared sloshing
> the bucket around.  I'm currently aerating by slowly pouring 3 gallons of
> pre-chilled water into my primary (plastic) fermentor from a height of
> about 5 feet.  

I use it off and on. It works great

>2.  I saw this question previously, but not an answer.  Is the oxygen in
> those propane style canisters available in Home Depot and the like the
> same as the one's sold with the Oxynator.  These canisters cost $7 at Home
> Depot as opposed to $16.45 from Liquid Bread.

Oxygen is oxygen. Yes, the ones at Home depot fit the regulator from the
Oxynator very well.



- ---Michael
"Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech"
http://www.weblore.com/soapbox
New: Freedom and Responsibility



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 08:51:43 +0200
From: Tom Alaerts <TomA at BUT.BE>
Subject: re: skunk smell

I know that brown glass is a much better protection against this
phenomenon than green glass or clear glass. Here in Belgium Corona is
ridiculously expensive for what it is, so the bottles are not taken from
the shelves often.  So I never understood how those crystal-clear
bottles of Corona that are in a brightly lit store for more than a week
don't develop this bad smell. Does anyone know the reason?


Tom Alaerts


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 03:01:24 EDT
From: Biggiebigg at aol.com
Subject: Nimrod

Since the name Nimrod has been used, I thought I might mention that Green Day
has an album by that name with some very good music. Apparently they have used
the misperception of the word Nimrod to artistic ends...

Jim Huskey
(A Permanent Lurker...hey You guys work it out)


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 06:41:11 -0400
From: "Eric R. Tepe" <erictepe at fuse.net>
Subject: Converting Kegs

Hello to all brewers and lurkers (ususally I),

There has been much discussion on converted kegs recently so I thought
that I would put in my 0.02 worth of experience and knowlege.  I have a
legally obtained sankey keg (if you live in or around Cincinnati call
Oldenburg, they had a lot of used ones to get rid of about 6 months ago)
that has a ss false bottom from Heartland Homebrew in Illinois (outside
of Chicago) and ss fittings in the side.  Here is how it was converted.
First I traded some homebrew for the ss fittings (a 3 inch ss nipple and
compression fitting) from  a local specialty plumbing supply) Secondly,
I brought the keg to a local welder who cut the top with a "wiz wheel". 
This is a thin grinding disk for metal that goes on your hand held
grinders.  Cuts right through the ss.  So he cut out the top and welded
the nipple in the side for $20 and some homebrew.  The false bottom
attaches at the nipple with the compression fitting. Total investment
was around $60.  
Also if you want a weldless design, I believe that AlK has a picture of
his on his website.  I would think that a bulkhead (the one on my mash
tun was only $5) with teflon washers would work, you would just have to
shop around.  I can get scrap teflon at a local plastics distributor
for  a couple bucks and use a hole punch to make the right size holes.

I hope this helps,
Eric


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 07:22:47 -0400
From: "Cruiser" <cruiser at dcache.net>
Subject: Re: Citrus Notes


Paul Ward wrote:
>I am overwhelmed by the citrusy character.  It's like
>drinking a grapefruit beer.  I *LOVE* this stuff!
<snip>
>but how do they get that amount of grapefruit flavor.

Jeff Renner replied:
>Let me suggest something radical - ask the brewer.

It works great!  Frontwaters (Marblehead, OH) has a great "American IPA"
(Gale Warning) with the same strong grapefruit taste.  Chris, the brewer,
shared that he uses 3 C's for hops (Columbus, Challenger and Cascades) with
lots of Cascades mid boil, and even more at the end of the boil.  The
swirling that the system uses to seperate the solids aparently causes a lot
of flavor utilization from the late hops, and Cascades is known for this
flavor.  IBUs were at like 53 or something.

They then ferment at a "fairly high temperature" for Wyeast American Ale,
although he would not specify.  This seems to increase the fruity flavor,
and somewhat the aroma.  Wonderful stuff, my favorite beer, and all I had
to do was ask!

Regards,
Nate Wahl, Oak Harbor, OH


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 05:09:50 -0700
From: John_E_Schnupp at amat.com
Subject: Re: Kettle outflow without welding

This is how I handled the drain on my brew pot.
I'm a 5 gallon batch brewer and use 3/8" copper
tubing for my transfers.  This works quite well for
this size batch and would probably serve well for
10 gallons as well.  Larger than that that would
probably take too long the transfer the liquid to
the fermenter

My brew pot is a large (60 qt) aluminum stock pot,
similar to a Volrath, just not that specific brand.
It was a b-day gift from my XYL a couple of years back.

I drilled and tapped a hole for 1/4"NPT in the pot about
1/2-1" up from the bottom.

There is a modified brass ball valve on the outlet.  To
modify the valve to accept a 1/4"NPT I soldered a bushing
into a copper T fitting.  The bushing is flared and needs
to be drilled with a 1/2" drill bit to remove the flared
end.  The bushing is then tapped to 1/4"NPT.  The threads
do not cut deeply enough into the bushing to provide a
liquid tight seal.  Screw a 1/4"NPT nipple into the
bushing and solder it.  This will provide a tight seal.
Heat the T fitting to loosen the soldered and remove the
bushing/nipple assembly (it was soldered into the T so
that the T could be clamped in a vice while drilling/
tapping/soldering).

Solder this assembly into the ball valve.  Screw the
modified ball valve into the hole in the brew pot.  Make
it good and tight, BUT be VERY CAREFUL not to over tighten
it as is could strip (there are only about 2 thread cut
in the pot).  The end of the nipple will be protruding
into the brew pot far enough so that a 1/4"NPT fitting
can be securely fastened.  On the inside of the pot I have
a 1/4"NPT x 3/8" compressing fitting.  I attach my pick-up
to the compression fitting.

The outlet of the ball valve can accept any of the many
1/2" sweat fittings, I've just never been able to locate a
1/4"NPT x 1/2" sweat.  One fitting that is very handy is
the 1/2" sweat x 3/8" compression.  You might have to look
for this at the larger stores (I found mine at Home Depot).

I have modified 2 pot in this way and neither have leaked,
YMMV.  If you are the anal retentive type, you might also
consider adding an o-ring or some other sort of gasket
material on the inside of the brew pot (over the nipple
and between the pot and whatever fitting you place on the
nipple).

Good luck,
John Schnupp, N3CNL
Colchester, VT
95 XLH 1200




Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 98 09:07:10 EDT
From: Greg_T._Smith at notes.pw.com
Subject: Re: Carry-On Homebrew

Rob Dittmar posted:
    
  <   I just thought I'd warn the collective and save someone future 
  <   disappointment.  If you, your friends, or relatives are taking some 
  <   homebrew home on a plane, pack it away in your luggage, not your 
  <   carry-on bag.

That's a crying shame.  And it's also surprising to hear.  I have brought 
homebrew on planes for a year and a half (probably 10-15 different trips) 
and I've never had it confiscated.  They've questioned what I had in the 
bottles, and I just told them that it was homebrew, and gave a quickie 30 
second overview on homebrewing, and they let me pass.  Once, when my bag 
was opened, they said, "we just want to make sure the bottles are sealed."  
Well, they better be, otherwise, I'd have some wet clothes.

I wonder if you caught them on a bad day, with heightened security; or if 
I caught them on several good days; or if they've tightened security since 
the last time I carried on homebrew (March); or if security knew what it 
was and just wanted to take some brew home with them.  Again, sorry to 
hear that it was lost...


Smitty

Greg Smith, 97 1200 XLC
BarnBrew Brewing Co.
Claryville, NY


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 08:21:48 -0500 (CDT)
From: Samuel Mize <smize at ns1.imagin.net>
Subject: slang; labelling laws

Greetings to all,

"Nimrod" is slang, you won't find it in a regular dictionary.  It's pretty old
now that I think about it.  Think of it as meaning "bleep" -- like a censor
cut out a word -- and you'll get the right idea.

 - - - - - - - - - -
> From: Marc.Arseneau at fluordaniel.com
> Subject: Rebel without a Cause / Belgian Strong Ales

> Anyway, I was wondering if the collective has an idea why commercial 
> beers are exempt from the laws requiring food items to list their 
> ingredients.  Or nutritional information.

WARNING TO INTERNATIONAL READERS: USA-SPECIFIC DATA (the North American
country, not the Japanese city or any South American countries made up of
united states, in America, but don't call themselves the "US of A")

Anyway...

In the USA, we are forbidden to put nutritional info on alcoholic beverages.
This is an interpretation of a US law forbidding false health claims for
alcoholic beverages.  This was meant to halt the sale of useless "patent
medicines."  Alcoholic beverages apparently aren't considered food items.

Until recently, we were forbidden to put the strength on a beer bottle,
also, to prevent competition based on the strength of the beer.  This
was recently overturned, based in part (I think) on the argument that
a person can't responsibly control his alcohol intake if he doesn't
know what it is.  Beer sold in the USA may now list its alcohol
percent, as long as it's a discreet informational line and not an
advertising claim about how blasted it'll make you.

Best,
Sam Mize

- -- 
Samuel Mize -- smize at imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam - see http://www.cauce.org/


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:32:33 -0400
From: "Paul E. Lyon" <lyon at osb1.wff.nasa.gov>
Subject: break(s) defined

  I am on my 10th all grain batch.  I have read several brewing books, but
am still unclear as to the true definition of hot break, cold break.  At the
start of the boil of the wort, a foamy head forms on top.  Is this hot
break?  If not does it help anything to skim it off?

   After the boil is over, and I let the hot wort sit while I get my
chilling set up ready, milky sediment forms at the bottom of the brew pot
with clear wort sitting on top.  Is this hot break?  I usually chill the
wort in the brew pot, stirring the wort gently (thus remixing the break) to
speed the cooling process.  I then rack the cooled wort off the break after
I let the wort sit in the brew kettle to settle while I clean up other
assorted brewing equipment.  Now is the milky sediment cold break mix with
hot break?  If not, what is cold break?  There is usually about a gallon of
this stuff in the bottom of my brew kettle (in a 5 gallon batch).  Is this
excessive?  Will it separate more if I wait longer?  I always like to get my
fresh wort under an airlock asap, with the yeast pitched to avoid airborne
beasties.


Thanks,

 P.E.L.
- -----------------------------------
 - Paul E. Lyon EG&G Services Inc. -
 - Ocean Color Research            -
 - lyon at osb.wff.nasa.gov           -
 - (413) 527-9897  (Fax -9984)     -
- -----------------------------------





Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:34:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bradd Wheeler <braddw at rounder.com>
Subject: Kettle Drain Fittings NO WELDING!


Concerning Fred Johnson's recent post about Non-Welded Kettle drain 
fittings.

Long live Fred!

I'm glad to see this subject getting some attention, I wanted to ask about
it myself but I've been advised against this course of action by many
homebrewers outside of the HBD. (primarily people thinking it will leak)

Having used a BruHeat Boiler, which has a similar drain setup (made from
PVC no less), I know that this sort of thing is very possible.  I just 
haven't been able to locate the right parts.   

My Question - Do you have a part number or manufacturer for this brass
drain fitting that you described in your recent post? Also, how well does
the gasket stand up to boiling?  I imagine you might need to replace it
every dozen brews or so.

Perhaps there are some other lurkers and/or regular HBD'ers with some info
on this subject, what say you?

 - Bradd Wheeler



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 98 8:41:10 CDT
From: <THaby at swri.edu> "THaby"
Subject: Burner Sleeve

Greetings,
 I am thinking of making a sleeve to go around my cajun cooker. The Idea
that I have is to cut a 55 gal drum perpendicular to its axis at a length
that would just be taller than the top of the burner. The reasons for this 
are to block the wind (I brew outside) and to focus the heat on the 
bottom of the converted keg boiler. If anyone has done this before I would 
greatly appreciate the do's and dont's. Thanks.
 
Tim Haby N5YEB
Rio Medina, TX


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 06:55:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Jackson <stevejackson at rocketmail.com>
Subject: Re: Carry-On Homebrew

In HBD #2748 (June 24, 1998), Rob Dittmar wrote:

>>>>>
I just wanted to drop a word of caution for the collective on passing 
     out homebrew to people traveling by air.
     
     This weekend I attended my brother's wedding, and gave away some
brew 
     to relatives.  My mother and grandfather put the beer in their 
     carry-on luggage, and said beer was confiscated by the people who
do 
     the baggage checks at the gate.
     
     In all fairness to the security people, I suppose that they
thought 
     that it was vaguely possible that I had filled two unmarked 22 oz. 
     bottles with nitro-glycerin or hydrocyanic acid, capped them, and 
     given them to my relatives to carry aboard the plane.  Its their
job 
     to be cautious when confronted by carry-on items whose contents
are 
     less than transparent, so their reactions may be unpredictable in 
     response to spying a bottle of homebrew, especially an unlabeled
one.
     
     I just thought I'd warn the collective and save someone future 
     disappointment.  If you, your friends, or relatives are taking
some 
     homebrew home on a plane, pack it away in your luggage, not your 
     carry-on bag.
     
     Rob Dittmar
     St. Louis, MO
<<<<<<

I personally have carried beer through the airport checkpoints without
any problems whatsoever. Unfortunately, we're all left to the mercy of
the checkpoint guards when it comes to things like this. I'm not
intimately familiar (or even casually) with the FAA regulations
regarding what they can confiscate or not, but in general I believe
they are allowed to seize whatever they feel may present a hazard.
Even if the seizing of beer would be inappropriate, who exactly are
you going to appeal to at that moment and still catch your flight?

As for packing your beer in your luggage, be sure to take several
precautions (unless you don't mind getting home and having all of your
clothes smell like beer). I don't know if you've ever watched luggage
being loaded on and unloaded from a plane, but the luggage handlers
are not exactly treating this stuff like the good china. There's a
good chance for breakage, which means there's a good chance your
clothes will be soaked.

When I travel by air, I tend to split my beer between the luggage and
the carry-on. For the luggaged beer, I wrap each individual bottle in
a few sheets of newspapers, and then I wrap several of them in couple
t-shirts or something I don't mind if it gets wet. I then put all this
in a plastic bag. I then pack the bundle in the middle of the
suitcase, both laterally and in terms of depth, with a layer of
clothes underneath and a layer on top. It's not like I've done this
dozens of times, but in the few times I've done it I've yet to have
any breakage.


 -Steve in Indianapolis
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free  at yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:04:52 -0500
From: "Jeffrey M. Kenton" <jkenton at iastate.edu>
Subject: Homebrew and Air Travel

In HBD #2748, Rob Dittmar lamented that some of his homebrew was given to
relatives and subsequently confiscated by airport security. He further
suggested that people pack homebrew in their checked luggage while flying.

I also was stopped while flying out of Des Moines because I had homebrew in
my carry-ons. I also had a growler of beer from a local brewpub. The kindly
lady scanned my bags with the xray machine, saw an "irregularity" and
wanted me to unpack my bags. Turned out that it was just my travel iron
(and its long electrical cord) that had them worried. By this time, I had
three ladies (all security) around my bag asking me questions, like "what's
in the half-gallon jug?" and "what's in that six pack holder full of beer
bottles?" When I said "Beer," everyone sighed in relief (even me). I told
them that I was heading to Washington, DC to share some homebrew (in the
six pack holder) and a growler of beer from a local brewpub with some east
coast brewers. (BEERSUMMIT)

By this time, the ladies were asking all sorts of questions, like "Where is
that brewpub, I'd like to have a beer right now (10 am)" and "Did you
really make that beer yourself?" In other words, the situation was quite
light and happy by the time they shook my hand and wished me a good flight.

Here are some tips that have worked for me:
1. Always put any beer you intend to take with you in your carry-on
luggage. Furthermore, place this beer at your feet while on the plane, and
not in the overhead compartment (see #3). If the carbonation level of the
beer is unknown to you, this becomes doubly important. Lower air pressure
aloft has been known to cause bottles to rupture. If this happens, you
don't want your clean clothes and the luggage of other people to be reaking
of beer. You want to be able to handle and control the situation on the
flight deck. The attendants WILL give you the proper cleaning supplies to
swab up the spilled beer. I assure you that if your beer breaks in the
cargo hold or in the overhead compartment, others will find out it was you,
and may even exact their revenge right in the terminal.

2. Always be polite, friendly and cooperative with airport security. You
know that your beer is not bomb-making parts, but they don't. Let them know
that you want to take this beer with you on the plane, and if they wish,
they can open a bottle of their choosing to affirm that it indeed is beer,
and not gasoline. My guess is that the security person will decline your
offer and let you go, but  if this person is unscrupulous, he/she might
insist on taking all your beer. In that case, that's how it goes and is a
good reason for labelling your homebrew with a decent label. That would
make it less obvious that it is homebrew. I have never heard of people
having their Budmillcoors taken from them at the security gate. They could
also take your aftershave, or your other toiletries if they wished.

3. Never store an igloo cooler sideways in an over head compartment. I was
coming back from New Orleans and a genius did this with a cooler full of
fish and ice. Perhaps we all know what happens to ice at room temperature.
Now hastily to the conclusion: fish water got into the ventilation system
and sprayed down on everyone in first class. Same could become true of
ruptured beer bottle contents and ice. If it was a prank, good one (I was
sitting in the very back of the plane at the time). I don't think it will
ever happen again to that person, however. He didn't look happy getting
pushed around by irate flyers.

I love the HBD,

Jeff

Jeffrey M. Kenton    jkenton at iastate.edu
Ames, Iowa           brewer at iastate.edu




Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:11:41 -0500
From: "A. J. deLange" <ajdel at mindspring.com>
Subject: Buffers/Wavelengths/Spores/Tone

Dave Williams asks about homemade buffers. This can be done but it is
preferable to buy pre made buffers which can be had from a number of
sources (Cole Parmer, Orion, Omega Engineering, VWR, Fisher etc., etc.).
Even well stocked home-brew shops sell pH buffers. Perhaps the all-round
best choice are the pre measured powders sold in gelatin capsules. One
capsule is mixed with deionized water just prior to use and you have,
therefore, very fresh buffer. The disadvantages are that you must supply
deionized water, preferably boiled to drive off the CO2 and that your
mix is going to be a little less accurate than a pre prepared liquid
buffer from a supplier - you must measure the water, you must transfer
all the powder from the capsule. Most of the capsule products specify
accuracy to 0.02 pH if properly mixed.

Better than the capsule buffers are those that are sold pre-mixed in
foil pouches. At cal time you open a pouch, stick the electrode in, take
the cal reading and then discard the pouch. These have a limited shelf
life and are quite expensive.

Pre-mixed buffers must be watched for freshness and contamination.

pH 4 buffer is usually prepared from potassium hydrogen phthalate and
hydrochloric acid; pH 7 buffer from potassium dihydrogen phosphate and
lye. Formulations for buffers can be found in handbooks like the
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics or from the nifty web page
http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/~toldo/Makebuf.html. Weighing out the
proper amounts of the salts requires heating to drive off water, cooling
in a dessicator and weighing in an accurate balance. Most home brewers
don't have this kind of equipment at home though some have access to it
through work or school.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The wavelengths for the ASBC color determination are 430 nm and 700.
Color is 10 times the absorbance at 430 referred to a half inch path.
The absorbance at 700 must be less than 0.039 times the absorbance at
430.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Arnold J. Neitzke cited

>"Encylopedia of Beer", it says under "Lager" (talking
>about ale yeast), "If the temperature of the ferment drops much lower
>(than 58F), the yeast goes into a state of hibernation, building a cyst

>around itself in a process called sporulation"

Compare to the introduction to the ASBC's yeast sporulation test
procedure: "Yeast sporulation is useful for identification of some
species of wild yeast, because lager yeast sporulates poorly, if at
all". To induce sporulation the yeast are grown on an agar poor in sugar
and rich in acetate (just sodium acetate and agar in the procedure
mentioned above). After growth on this medium, a smear is prepared and
stained with malachite green, then counter stained with safranin.
Vegetative cells take the safranin and appear red. Asci (sort of lozenge
shaped "pouches") stain green and contain from 1 to 4 spores.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sam Mize wrote:

>>... people with good opinions are being
>> driven off-line for fear of impending head bashing.

>I am pleading with anyone who agrees with that comment.

I'm afraid I must as I remember one case from the past well. I can't
remember what the post was about but the poor guy got just about
everything back ass. There was nothing reasonable to do but write the
guy privately and say something like "Gee, I'll bet you haven't looked
at this stuff in a while because water isn't really 13 times heavier
than mercury, it's the other way around". I did this but several others
chose to flog this poor guy publicly. He sent me private e-mail saying
that he'd never post here again, and he hasn't. I've also noticed that
some of the names I used to see don't appear here any more. There are
lots of reason why this may be true but I know of at least one case
where it was the tone that drove a contributor off. It just never, ever
hurts to be kind.



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:21:00 -0500
From: "Braker-Abene, Scott" <sbraker-abene at comark.com>
Subject: RE: Samuel Mize's comments on Really Really Big Batches and


	Samuel Mize Writes: 

	> Subject: Really Really Big Batches and stuff

	> I have recently started experimenting with large batch sizes.
Say 30-40
	> gallons at a time.

	>While I would't burn vermin over it -- that is, I don't
personally give a
	>rat's ash -- you might consider whether you're
posting/publishing data that
	>shows you're breaking US law.  The limit is 100 gallons per
adult, 200 in a
	>household with more than one adult.

	I say:

	Man oh Man... What with the attitude there Samuel? Don't go
assuming that 
	Anyone is breaking any laws.  I would also like to know where in
my post I 
	Even hinted at breaking any laws? Do you care to point out where
I did post
	Even the slightest hint that I was breaking any US laws.

	I am quite aware of what I am allowed to brew and not allowed to
brew.

	Samuel Mize Writes:

	>So if you have three adults, one must move to another house to
get his/her
	>100 gallons per year.  Our heavy-handed social policies
contribute to the
	>break-up of the extended family and the destruction of our
social fabric.

	Our heavy-handed social policies??? What are you talking about?
I really 
	Must know...

	-Scott Abene

	


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 98 08:04 PDT
From: caburns at egusd.k12.ca.us (Charley Burns)
Subject: Ask the Brewer (was citrus notes)

Jeff Renner suggests something radical "ask the brewer".

I second that. I have repeatedly bugged brewers for thier ingredients and 
process and have never been turned down. I've always found them eager to 
discuss their recipes with someone that shows genuine interest and some 
level of knowledge.

Charley



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 11:03:58 -0400
From: Fred Kingston <Fred at KingstonCo.com>
Subject: fermentation controller

> Jaime (Northern California)Poris at aol.com writes:
> Subject: fermentation controller
>
>   I want to control my fermentation temperature in my
>   basement without constant monitoring and switching
>   of frozen jugs in the summer and (at thistime)
>   without a dedicated refrigerator (ales not lagers).

<big snip>

> Probable total parts cost is around $140 (surplus electronics stores)

Not to belabor the point, because I certainly don't want
to stilt your enthusiasm for the project.... but I've never paid more
than $75.00 for a used refrigerator, and a controller is $30.00

Considerably under your projected budget.... and you'd have a
REAL refrigerator.....??????????  ;-)

fjk








Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 98 09:39:25 -0600
From: montgomery_john at ccmail.ncsc.navy.mil
Subject: Roller Mill Spacings (again)


     
     Oh wise home (or professional) grain crushers:
     
     I got ONE response (thank you Kyle Druey) to my question the other 
     day regarding recommended roller spacing for different grains 
     (barley vs. wheat vs...) using adjustable mills. 
     
     But, c'mon folks. I know there must be hundreds...nay...thousands 
     of you out there tweaking away at your mills trying to get that 
     "perfect" crush! Is it .055 for barley? .065? ...? What have your 
     collective minds found? Does anyone know of a resource on the 
     Internet? I've searched Real Beer and The Brewery.
     
     Thank you much and good brewing to all,
     
     John Montgomery
     montgomery_john at ccmail.ncsc.navy.mil




Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:03:39 -0700
From: George_De_Piro at berlex.com
Subject: AHA NHC Northeast region first round

     Hi all,
     
     Just a quick note to let all those who entered know:  all of the beers 
     at the AHA NHC NE 1st round have been evaluated.  The meads, well, 
     um...this week should see them done (it was decided that it was better 
     to wait until a few qualified people were able to evaluate them, 
     rather than a group of beer judges that know very little about meads!)
     
     A couple of weeks ago Rob Gump had posted that Brian wasn't answering 
     E-mail because he was on vacation.  His vacation was driving the 10 
     cases of unevaluated AHA NHC beers from Lowell, MA to Brooklyn.  What 
     a fun vacation!  I hope Brian can get a few extra days off to reward 
     him for his dedication.
     
     If your beer did well, be proud.  It was as well traveled as most 
     mega-brews!
     
     The AHA should be showering the following with tremendous thanks:
     
     *John Naegele, a local beer geek and AHA board of advisors member.  He 
     was crazy enough to think that he could organize a 230+ beer contest 
     in less than 2 weeks, and was able to do it!
     
     *Steve Hindy and the rest of the good people at the Brooklyn Brewery.  
     The Brooklyn Brewery was kind enough to host the event for the two 
     Saturdays it took to finish the evaluations (it's tough to get judges 
     on such short notice, especially in the summer, so it took two 
     sessions).
     
     *The judges who came out to evaluate the beers.  I know that I value 
     my summer weekends.  I'm sure the rest of the judges do, too!
     
     I hope the AHA doesn't repeat this scene again - ever! 
     
     Have fun!
     
     George


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:23:53 -0500
From: Dave Humes <humesdg1 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Counter-pressure filling

Greetings,

I just started kegging and would like to be able to fill bottles
occassionally.  The new CP filler from Phil's looks interesting since
it only has one valve and sounds a lot easier to operate than the
3-valve designs.  But, the instructions say that the filler uses
siphon
action to draw beer from the keg requiring the keg to be up high
relative to the bottles.  That basically means that the bottles will
have to be on the floor with the keg on a table.  That doesn't sound
very convenient.  I'd appreciate any comments from people who have
tried this filler.

Depending on the comments received on the Phil's CP filler, I may
wind
up purchasing the standard 3-valve type.  Can anyone offer
suggestions
on a good CP filler?


Thanks.


Dave Humes                                              
>>humesdg1 at earthlink.net<<
Dave Humes                             >>humesdg1 at earthlink.net<<




Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:22:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Rodney Bender (717) 787-4973" <BENDER.RODNEY at a1.pader.gov>
Subject: Bube's Fest/Competition

What:   Bube's Brewery Homebrew Fest/Competition

When:   Sat. June 27 (sorry about the late post)

Where:  Mount Joy, PA (between Lancaster and Harrisburg)

This event was put together to bring local homebrewers together
and hopefully attract new people to this great hobby!  Any entries
can be brought to the location at 11:00am that morning, judging
will begin at 1:00.  The categories being judged are: pale ale,
wheat, specialty wheat, kolsch, bitter, and stout.  Brewers are
to bring three bottles to compete and are encouraged to bring
extra to share with others. There are no entry fees and there 
will be prizes for the top three in each group.  There will be 
free munchies and I believe someone will be doing some all-grain
brewing.  

If you are interested call for directions (717)653-2056, or
check out their site at:
	http://lancaster.net/bubes/

Cheers,
Rod Bender





Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 10:41:41 -0600
From: Hans_Geittmann at notes.seagate.com
Subject: brewing at sea

Steve Cloutier offers a gimballed carboy stand as a solution to Keith
Zimmerman's friend's problem of brewing at sea...
A simpler solution might be to buy a carboy handle ($5) and hang the carboy
from a piece of rope attached to a sturdy beam with a hook somewhere on the
boat- basically a pendulum instead of a gimbal mechanism, same effect
though.  Now, some optimization with regards to rope length and placement
or padding to protect the carboy from swinging into things might be
required, but that should be pretty easy.  I've thought about fermenting in
corny kegs in a swimming pool before- during winter the temperature would
stay at a constant 60F.  But I've moved to from Palo Alto to Colorado
recently, have no swimming pool, so the question is moot.  Dropping the
fermenter into the sea (tethered) might also be an option (corrosion?),
depending on where the boat is.
- --
Hans Geittmann




Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 09:43:43 -0700
From: "Hans E. Hansen" <hansh at teleport.com>
Subject: Re: Carry-On Homebrew

Regarding comments from:

Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 11:21:35 -0500
From: "Robert D. Dittmar" <Robert.D.Dittmar at stls.frb.org>
Subject: Carry-On Homebrew

     I just wanted to drop a word of caution for the collective on
passing 
     out homebrew to people traveling by air.
<snip>     
     Its their job 
     to be cautious when confronted by carry-on items whose contents are 
     less than transparent, <snip>

Perhaps the answer would be Irish Moss or PolyClar.

Oh, never mind.

Hans E. Hansen
hansh at teleport.com


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:18:44 -0500 (CDT)
From: Samuel Mize <smize at ns1.imagin.net>
Subject: Pigs in Space -- no, wait -- Gimbals at Sea

Steve Cloutier suggests brewing at sea with a gimballed stand.  Depending
on space, Keith's friend may be able to just hang the fermenter on a cord.
Either will keep it level.  The gimbal will use less space and handle
bigger angles, the cord is cheaper.

However, both of these maintain level by rotating the fermenter so that
all the bobbing and swinging forces are vertical relative to the fermenter.
I don't know if this up-and-down bobbing force will tend to keep the yeast
mixed up, or make them flocculate early, or do nothing major.  But he may
want to try it with extremely cheap equipment first, and see if it works
out OK.  If nothing else, he can dock for a week or so while it ferments
(assuming a quick ale recipe).

Best,
Sam Mize

- -- 
Samuel Mize -- smize at imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam - see http://www.cauce.org/


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:23:00 -0500
From: "Charles L. Ehlers" <clehlers at flinthills.com>
Subject: Re. Fearful lurkers, please help me

Sam,
  I'm not a *fearful lurker*, but can understand why some may be hesitant to
post.
  First, HBD can appear to be a place for advanced brewers only.  Second, in
the past year (the time since I first subscribed), HBD has become quite a
nasty place.  Third, there is a slight tendency toward, not so much
arrogance, but more like an over-inflated sense of importance or
snobbishness by some of the experts.

  The majority of brewing-related posts involve relatively technical aspects
of all-grain brewing.  Not only are most completely over the head of most
newbies, but the level of technicality can be intimidating to a newbie.
Some may be hesitant to post simply out of (the unwarranted) fear of looking
stupid or inexperienced.  Granted, that fear is the result of little more
than a perception.  However, when dealing with people, perceptions are as
good as reality.

  As far as the nastiness which has become all too common, think back to
some of the less than flattering threads that have run over the past year:
- --  The Little Apple Brewing Company flame campaign done in "defense" of Rob
Moline.  That degenerated into personal insults directed against the owners,
management, and current brew meister of the LABCo.  The only bright spot in
that whole thing was the graceful manner in which Rob handled it.
- --  Charlie Papazian bashing.  What does this accomplish?  Have we forgotten
our roots?  I don't know him personally, maybe all the bad things said about
him are true.  But the fact remains that TNCJOHB was and continues to be one
of the most influential books when it comes to bringing people into the
home-brewing fold.  Yes, it does teach some *bad* practices.  But it's a
significant help to the new brewer.  You can also make some damn fine beer
doing what it teaches, *bad* practices and all.  The personal bashing
accomplishes nothing.
- --  AHA bashing.  Yup, it's a big commercial enterprise.  But again, it
serves a purpose and is generally a positive influence in the home-brewing
community.  Rather than bash it, put the effort into fixing it.  The bashing
accomplishes nothing.
- --  And now the current cat fight about arrogance, pompousness, alleged
psychological abuse of newbies, which has degenerated into personal attacks
and name calling.  It's accomplishes little more than making all
participants seem petty.

  Here's what leads to the perception of an over-inflated sense of
importance or snobbishness:
- --  The ever-popular Coors-Budwiser-Miller-et al bashing.  Good beer is beer
you like to drink.  Many people, to include home-brewers, like these beers.
So what if they're not someone's idea of *good* or *real* beer?  They're
still beer.  It is arrogant to, without any good reason and so vocally,
condemn what other may enjoy.
- --  The Blue Moon Belgian White vs. Celis and Hoegaarden thread.  I was
amazed at the number of experts who were so adamant that BMBW was not
*authentic* and was poor beer.  I wonder how many of those *experts* spent
time in Belgium drinking whites/Belgian wheats?  I did and am amazed at how
the *good* (I guess they meet the style *guidelines*) whites/Belgian wheats
here are less like those I had in Belgium than BMBW.

  Is this E-mail/post HBD bashing?  Although not intended as such, no doubt
many will take it that way.  However, you asked why some may be hesitant to
post.  My answer is someone, especially a newbie, can get the perception
that HBD is place for advanced brewers only;  there is an inordinate amount
of inappropriate negativity in HBD which will put people off; and there can
also be a certain amount of snobbishness.

Charles Ehlers
clehlers at flinthills.com



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:34:39 -0500 (CDT)
From: Al Korzonas <korz at xnet.com>
Subject: Only Lambics are made with aged hops

Scott writes:
>Sugar is also used because Belgian ales are hopped with aged hops 
>resulting in a less bitter beer.

When my cousin and I just "discovered" Belgian Ales, we had all
kinds of misconceptions about them.  One was that they all were
made with lactic bacteria and another was that they were all made
with aged hops.  As it turns out, only Lambics (Lambieks in Flemish),
Oud Bruins, Witbiers and Flanders Red Ales have intentional lactic
"fermentations" and only Lambics are made with aged hops.

Al.

Al Korzonas, Palos Hills, IL
korz at xnet.com
http://www.brewinfo.com/brewinfo/


Return to table of contents

---